Zootopia - In Rage of Fire
by Cloudsword774
Summary: Adrian had gone too far, the city may well be under attack from something bigger than anything Nick and Judy have ever seen.
1. Regrets of the Past!

**Zootopia**

 **In Rage of Fire**

 **Disclaimer**

 **This is the third part of my story. I do not own any of the characters of Zootopia. Just the characters I created like Gurē and Ai. Enjoy the story.**

 **Prologue – Regrets of the Past!**

A samurai was supposed to be noble. A samurai was supposed to protect. Yet this one, a black fox with shining stars in his midnight fur, was forced to humbly drag himself back onto the shore when he jumped form the boat that the simple grey bunny had brought him to this island on. He grunted as he pulled himself up, his left arm cut up from debris and his green kimono singed and drenched. He pulled himself up again and tried to stand. Pain shot through his body, and when he looked down, he could see it, a laceration. Deep into his ankle, but from where he was standing, it could have been worse. So, through the pain, he stood and looked around. He remembered the dock, though now it was in broken pieces and remembered the boat. Then again, he remembered the bunny. He looked around, trying to see her, and then he saw her. She wore a different kimono, but there she was, or so he thought. His vision was blurry, and he quickly found himself feinting from the pain. When he awoke, he found his face covered on one side, bandages wrapped around his head and right eye. His left arm and leg both wrapped in bandages with what looked like a wet cloth placed on them to keep whatever swelling would happen down to a minimum. He glanced around, listening for anything that might give him a hint to where he was. On the far side of the room, he heard a door slide open, so he looked. It was hard, because it was on the same side that his bandaged eye was on, but he lifted himself up to get a better view. "Banni?" he asked when he saw the back of her head as she slid the door closed. When the bunny's ears shot up, she turned her head. Her face was similar, but younger. Much younger. She could only have been just barely of age. Her pink flowered kimono matched the flower she kept behind each of her ears, and the surprised look she had almost matched his own. "My apologies." he responded softly.

"You knew my sister?" the girl said. With a choke, the fox turned to her, and nodded. "My name is Usagi Senkō."

"SENKŌ?" another voice called out. Senkō panicked a bit, but before she could do much, the door slid open, and there, standing in a blue kimono with cherry blossom pedals, stood another bunny, but this one was taller by a little. She had a stern look on her face as she glared at Senkō, but that same face, it looked strikingly similar, not like Senkō's. He could see a great deal of Banni's features in this one, more so than the younger. "I thought I'd find you here. What have I told you about foxes?"

"But it's not fair to judge him just because he's a fox!" Senkō said with worry, her front claws pressing against each other in embarrassment of getting caught.

"A fox is a fox!" the taller bunny said, "They cannot be trusted! Besides, this is the fox that was lying there during the explosion."

"Yah, but how do you know he killed someone?" Senkō asked in defense, "Besides, he said he knows Banni!"

"Is this true?" the other bunny asked, "Did you kill our sister with that explosion?"

His eyes widened in shock as she asked those questions, was Banni dead? Had she not gotten away from the explosion in time? The girl was about to speak again when the young Senkō slapped her own sister, "How dare you!?" the girl asked in shock, "You have no proof Banni was even there, you have no real reason to suspect him at all. You only blame him for being something he has no control over. Banni will be ashamed of you when she gets back!" Senkō nearly shouted and ran past her sister and around the door. The two of them stood in surprise at the young bunny's boldness though the taller bunny kept her hand to her cheek as she watched her sister disappear into the house. The room fell silent, the taller bunny thinking deeply on her words, even the words of her sister.

It was the fox that spoke, "I didn't know Banni had any sisters." he said. The bunny turned to him as she listened, "She never spoke of you."

The other bunny lowered her eyes in shame, but quickly lifted them up, trying to hold onto her pride, "She probably didn't think about it. She was always like that." She said.

"I am Kitsune Gurē. May I ask what your name is?" the samurai said.

"Kitsune Gurē?" the bunny asked, "The dishonored Samurai from the imperial army?"

Gurē was just about to yell at her, but instead he took a deep breath, "The Emperor dishonored **ME** , not the other way around."

The two glared at each other, focus against distrust, until the bunny smiled, "I am Usagi Ai. And I'm actually glad you came here to fight the imperial army."

Gurē shot up with a start, his fur matted with sweat as he regained his breath. The futon he was laying on spread across the ground of Nick's apartment, and the thunder cracked through the air as the rain struck the widow with a wet splash for each drop, one right after the other like that of a waving piece of paper, or what he knew now as the joy of bubble wrap. His mind was reeling with the memory, the death of his friend, Usagi Banni, and the mistakes he made so long ago. He reached down to steady himself, and there she was, Ai, his bunny wife sleeping soundly next to him, their kimonos both spread across the blanket that covered the both of them. He placed a gentle paw onto her shoulder, careful not to wake her from her slumber. With his head full of thoughts, he rose from his bed, and moved to the kitchen.

He grabbed a packet of tea, and placed a cup of water into the microwave, one of the few devices he actually liked. It heated water quickly and didn't scream like a tea kettle did. It was also easy to use, not like Nick's phone/stereo/computer/GPS (whatever that was). Just as he placed the tea bag into the cup, he heard a familiar flushing noise, so he turned to the bathroom, cup of steeping tea in paw, and watched Nick exit the bathroom, a tired look on his face. Nick looked up and into the kitchen, Gurē could tell the other fox was thinking of a snack. "What's your excuse?" Nick asked as he neared the other fox.

"Dreams of-e de past." Gurē said as he watched the tea steep. With a gentle swirl of the cup, the color of the tea seeped in, overtaking the water quickly, it was almost tea, but Gurē liked it much stronger.

"Yah?" Nick asked as he pulled the fridge open, "Which one?"

"De time I met Ai and one of-e her many sisters." Gurē said solemnly.

Nick turned to the other fox, the samurai's expression full of sorrow. "Banni again?" he asked only to get a slow nod. Nick thought a bit, and then came up with a question as he fixed a tomato, lettuce, swiss cheese and smoked salmon sandwich. "Hey, I never asked, were you able to dream at all while you were in that giant piece of amber?"

Gurē looked at him, and shook his head, "I don't-e think so." the black furred fox said, "It-e was like I woke up seconds after I-e went to sleep. But I-e had never been-e more confused in-a my life."

"That's understandable." Nick said and reached again into the fridge. To Gurē's delight, the red fox pulled out a small carton of blueberries and offered some to his friend. Both foxes enjoyed a few berries as they waited, Gurē squashing one and dropping it into his tea. "Hadn't thought of that." Nick said with a smile, and then heard his phone ring. From inside his room. He stiffed his sandwich into his mouth, and quickly made his way to the bedroom. The black fox finally took a sip of his tea, and just then, Nick made his way out of his room, sandwich halfway in his mouth as he pulled his uniform shirt on, the pants already in place.

"What is wrong?" Gurē asked without lowering his tea cup.

"Got a call from the precinct." Nick told him, "Someone got assaulted, and they asked for Judy and me personally."


	2. What Happened Here?

**Chapter 2 – What Happened Here?**

The scene was like that from a movie, six police cars surrounding the parking lot each with their lights blinking while one of them left the siren running. A single fire truck with an ambulance closest to the two that had been attacked. Sitting next to the moving truck, a familiar half badger half snow leopard, Patty Bella. She was wrapped in what looked to be a light blue blanket that looked like it should have been placed on an antique bed rather than her shoulders. She sat there, getting checked out by a female cheetah as the paramedic made sure she didn't need to go to the hospital. "Thank you!" Patty said as the paramedic nodded and packed up her things. Just then, two familiar figures moved into her view, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. "I guess you really were telling the truth!" she said as she looked to the red fox. His blue uniform contrasted with his fur, and yet somehow fit him perfectly.

"Come on Patty, would I do that?" he asked.

"The old you yes!" Judy said, "The you today, it depends if the lie is helpful or not!"

Nick looked at her, false shock in his eyes, "I'm surprised at you Carrots!" he said, "You know me way too well!"

"Patricia Bella?" Judy asked formally, "I was informed that you wished to speak with us about something urgent?"

Patty instead looked to her husband, the leopard that had been thrown into one of the pillars. "Is he going to be alright?" she asked with a nod.

Judy looked over her shoulder, spying the male as the paramedics closed the door to the ambulance, "Paramedics say he's got a severe concussion, but with some treatment, he'll be fine in a few months."

"I guess I'll have to tell his boss about that." she said, then she tightened her grip on the blanket.

"You said you had some important information for us?" Nick asked.

Patty looked up at the fox, her eyes locking onto his, "I...don't really know where to start." she said a bit nervous.

"I understand that this can be a bit unnerving, please try and take it easy. Remember, we're here to help." Judy said as she placed her paw on the predator's shoulder.

To this, Patty simply nodded, gulped down her sense of nerves and leaned in, "He's going to find them." she said silently. Nick and Judy both knelt down, Nick placing a paw on Patty's shoulder. "He's going to try and revive the demons. The dolls were the demons." she told them.

Nick dropped his paw from her shoulder, "You knew this and you sold them to kids?" he hissed in a whisper.

"Honestly, Adrian didn't leave me any choice. If he gets his paws on the dragon, it's all over." Patty whispered.

"You know about the dragon?" Judy asked.

"Better yet, what's your connection with Adrian?" Nick asked, a question even Judy hadn't really thought of, "Why did you have the dolls?"

Patty hesitated, almost ashamed, but when Nick placed his paws on his knees to lift himself up to leave, she stopped him by grabbing his arm, "He's my great, great, great grandfather." she told them, getting Judy so gasp in shock. "Nick," Patty said quietly, "he tried to use the garage door to kill me. How do you think it was when I had to try to take care of him?"

"So, he gave you the dolls for…what?" Judy asked, her curiosity rising.

"He didn't, I sort of stole them from him. He was going to release them on the world to destroy innocent animals when he revived the dragon, he…has a thing against mixed breeds." she admitted.

"But, you're a mixed breed." Judy quietly said.

"Yah, and that made everything worse growing up." the female said with a shiver, "He wasn't going to give my family anything but we were the only ones that were left nearby when he died."

"I'm sorry, died?" Nick asked in confusion.

"Yah, how do you think he stays alive. He steals the bodies of his own family." she told them. "I ran away when I watched him steal away my Grandpa, and I took the dolls with me, with every intention of destroying them, but…" Her words sort of trailed off, "That's a bit harder than I thought. Several of them couldn't be destroyed by simple means, and I wasn't able to find a way to completely destroy them."

"Any ideas?" Judy asked Nick. Nick looked around, his eyes scanning the area. In his search, he thought he saw something, a shadow under a lamp, but when he looked again, it wasn't there. His mind on alert now, he scanned the area again, "Nick?" Judy asked.

"Patty, would you like to accompany us to the precinct, I'd like to ask a few more questions." the fox said.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to go with my husband, to make sure he's alright." she replied but then looked into his eyes those mischievous eyes that right now, were full of dread and fear.

"I insist." was all he said, and let his paw fall to a comfortable level, one that was open to help her up.

Judy could see it to, but what could have scared him so much? "Alright." Patty said and reached her paw into his. The fox lifting the mixed breed to her feet, and the bunny tossing her keys into the air.

"Get ready to gas it." Nick mumbled through his teeth to Judy.

"Huh?" she asked.

"We're being followed." he said in a harsh whisper.

Judy stiffened up a bit, and swiveled just her eyes, trying to see what he saw. But it was useless, everything was dark around her. 'I wish I had the night vision he did.' She thought to herself as she climbed into the patrol vehicle. The second they did, she passed him her phone, "Call Gurē, he might be able to do something." she told him and was surprised when something looked like it loomed in front of them as she turned on her headlights. "What is that?" she asked, just as the shadows that surrounded it moved from the face, almost like a hood being removed, and underneath was the skeleton of a monkey. However, this monkey had large horns that sprouted from its head.

"The Shinigami!" Patty said, "I thought that one was beyond revival!"

Suddenly, the shadows again moved, and from its left hand, a sword with a bright white blade appeared.

"Punch it!" Nick said quickly and lifted the phone to his ear.


	3. Chase Through Central!

**Chapter 3 – Chase Through Central!**

Judy hit that gas pedal hard, the creature lifting its sword high into the air and bringing it down, right as her patrol car sped backwards. "Where did you learn to drive?" Patty asked, just as Judy switched gears and again stomped on the gas pedal. The beast could only watch as the black and white police vehicle sped right past him, so with a roar that sounded like an echoing cackle, it rose up and simply by flying on the shadows, followed them.

"What the devil…?" Bogo asked as he watched the thing take off.

Inside the car Nick quickly placed the phone to his ear, the dialing complete, he waited until he heard a familiar voice, "Gurē?" he asked, "What do you know about a Shinigami?"

Gurē simply placed a tire paw to his face, "Dey are-e like de grim reaper of Pandan." he said tiredly, "Dey invite death upon de people and sometimes possess de living to commit suicide."

"Yah well, it looks like we got one with a sword right behind us!" Nick told him, the car speeding down roads.

"What?" Gure asked, "Dat's not possible!"

"Tell that to the skeleton thing chasing us!" Nick told him, and quickly brought the phone outside just as the thing roared again, the gurgling erupting while its mouth opened.

Gurē remained silent, his eyes and mind now on full alert as he reached around and grabbed his swords, "Lead him to an open area, de park. It will be empty dis time of day."

"We're already on our way to the precinct, think you can stop it at the door?" Nick asked, and his response was the silence, right before he heard Gurē hang up the phone. "Gurē, buddy?" Nick asked, and moved the phone from his head, "Sweet Cheese and Crackers!" he whispered, "We're going to have to bail!" he said. And watched as Judy quickly pulled up to the station, slamming on the brakes and spinning the car around to face their pursuer. Just as quickly as they could, Nick jumped out and opened the door for Patty, but once she was in the building, he darted back to the car. "Thought you could have all the fun, huh?" he said with enough wit to cover his nerves.

"You should have just gone in." the doe said seriously.

"Not a chance Fluff, we're a team, and Heaven help me we're going down like a couple." he told her, and then listened to his own words, "Is it too late to rephrase that last part?" He never got to hear the answer, instead they heard and felt something land on top of the roof, and watched the shadow stop in its tracks, right before a green kimono wearing warrior with glowing swords clashed with the sword of the shadow, "That was fast!" Nick said.

Gurē; now adorned in his green kimono, black hakama and what looked like a bandanna around his muzzle, pressed his sword into the blade of the skeleton, and in his native language spoke, but his tone was that of realization and a bit of fear, then backed up, sliding all the way to touch his tail against the bumper of the squad car. He dashed again, his sword tearing through the shadows as if ripping a cloak from the shoulders of an enemy, revealing a floating skeleton with no legs and only a single left arm. The creature, then turned around, red lights for eyes glaring in his direction. A single growl came from the beast, the gurgling rattle of what was once alive.

Judy then placed her paws on her ears, trying desperately to plug them, "You ok Carrots?" Nick asked in concern.

"The ringing won't stop." she said, and grabbed her ears, folding them over her face and pressing her paws to silence the noise.

Nick listened, and heard it, every time the creature got closer, the ringing got louder, but what was strange, it didn't start until now, he could have easily missed it, but not Judy, she would have heard it instantly, so why?

Gurē twisted in midair as he once again dodged the blade. Landing on his hind paws, he spun around and blocked the advancing blade using his own. Again, Gurē dashed backward, and placed the sword up against its scabbard, touching the hilt to where it would usually rest, "Eien no Ejji…" he called out just as the skeleton charged at him, "…Sutōmukattā!" With a dash that no one could really see, Gurē passed by the skeleton, its sword still raised to attack. When he reappeared, his sword was up above him, as if he had slashed just once, and with a quick spin, placed the blade back into its scabbard, right before the skeleton ignited in a bright explosion, the bones burning to ash instantly. Just as quickly, Gurē fell to the ground, collapsing in a heap of cloths and fur.

It took a while, but the press was now convinced that the explosion was caused buy a couple of pranking kids out for a quick thrill, with Nick, sly as he was, reporting that they would find who was responsible in due time. With Gurē hidden away in one of the interrogation rooms, Bogo started asking questions to the black furred fox. He was trying to be calm, because it looked like he was exhausted, "What was that about?" he asked.

Gurē finished downing the entire bottle of water, and turned to Bogo, "Dat was not a Shinigami." he said.

Bogo let his eyebrow raise, "What's a Shinigami?" he asked.

"It is de god of death in-e Pandan. A spirit dat governs and causes death, sometimes by suicide." the tod told him.

"Ok, if a sword wielding skeleton is not a Shinigami, then what was it?" the chief asked.

"It was an Odokuro." Gurē responded and grabbed another of the many bottles of water on the table, "Though I have never seen one so small. Most-e time dey are fifteen time bigger den dat." Bogo let his eyes open in surprise, waiting for some more gruesome details, "Dey obviously eat wanderers, because dey are formed from a hundred starvation victims or soldiers dat have not been buried and left to rot."

"Ah," Bogo said in disgust, "I see."

"Hey, is not my idea to make such monster." Gurē retorted, and then began downing another bottle of water.

"Thirsty?" Bogo asked as the fox finished his bottle, "Causing that explosion must have taken it out of you."

"I-e would not have used dat move if-e I could have helped it." Gurē said, "I-e cannot feel if it connects, and because I put my sword back, it leaves me open to attack. Plus, I cannot fight after dat, I'm too exhausted."

"So, the attack causes the explosion?" Bogo asked.

"Yes." Gurē said, "It requires faster den lighting speeds to get right. A feat dat just saps everyting I have."

"You don't have any more moves like that in your repertoire, do you?" Bogo asked.

Gurē, just lifted an eyebrow, unsure of what the word meant. "Um, no?" the tod asked.

Bogo pinched the bridge of his nose, "Do you have anymore moves that cause explosions?" he asked.

Gurē then lifted his chin in recognition, "Oh…No." he said.

"Good, you may go." Bogo said, and moved to the door, "Just…try not to do that again." When he turned, he watched Gurē stuff a few water bottles into his kimono sleeves, and then grab one in each paw, "You know we have a water fountain right out here in the hallway right?"

"Dis water taste better!" was all the samurai said and walked out the door.

"It also costs more!" Bogo mumbled as they left the room.


	4. What of My Past?

**Chapter 4 - What of My Past?**

Gurē entered the hallway, escorted by the large cape buffalo out into the foyer. There he met up with the rest of the police force. Judy and Nick out front. "You ok?" Nick asked.

"Chief-e Bogo took-e it easy on me!" the kitsune responded and was rewarded with a gruff snort from the chief before the larger animal passed him by.

"That was some weird monster." Clawhouser responded from his desk.

"BACK TO WORK!" everyone heard Bogo shout from near the bullpen.

The crowd dispersed, Nick, Judy and Ben the only three staying still. Though Patty Bella and Bakeneko were quickly revealed. Bakeneko was curiously looking at Patty, touching her ears gingerly and wanting to touch her nose. "Sorry." Ben said to Patty, "She's never seen another mixed breed so close before." Suddenly Bakeneko turned to him, and quickly spoke in her native tongue. "Now in English!" he said, "And ask her, not me."

Bakeneko turned, hesitant and nervous, then with a squeak, began her words, "Be…Friend…Please." she said with a thick newly formed accent, almost as if it were some of the few words she knew.

Patty turned to the larger cheetah, a nervous curiosity etched into her features, "She wants to know if you'll be her friend."

"You understood all of that?" Nick asked Ben.

"I understood the important words." he said, "I'm still learning some of the more difficult ones."

"Um…sure?" Patty said in response to the nervous Bakeneko. Both girls relaxed, Patty after she saw Bakeneko visibly let go of her nervous energy.

"What was that ringing noise?" Judy suddenly asked.

"I heard it to." Nick said, "But only after the shadows came off. What was that?"

"Don't know where it got it, but dat cloak of shadow was silencing da very ting dat signals the arrival of de Odokuro. If -e you hear ringing in-e your ears, or de clattering of bones near a road, den it's nearby." Gurē told them.

"Wait, that wasn't a Shinigami?" Patty asked.

"No, it was an Odokuro, though it was much smaller dan I'm used to." The samurai said.

Some time later, Gurē and Nick had finally made it back to the apartment. The black fox was dragging his tail and his knuckles along the ground, an attempt at staying awake. Nick knocked on the door, the sun peeking in through the window to his left as the grey bunny opened the door, a pink juice pop in her paw and mouth, blue jeans and a pink shirt adorning her figure. Nick let his eyes go wide open, she looked every bit like Judy. If his partner/girlfriend hadn't been out in the car, he would have sworn the adventurous young bunny had intentionally invaded his apartment just for his strawberry juice pops. "There has to be a way we can tell you two apart." the red tod said, getting the young Pandanese bunny to chuckle. Then she turned her eyes to Gurē, his mouth wide open in a yawn that stretched his mouth open as wide as it would go. "Are-e you ok?" she asked her husband as she removed the juice pop from her mouth to speak.

"Sutōmukattā." was all he said, and the bunny understood, moving herself to be under his left arm as she pulled him into the apartment.

"Don't you two do anything I wouldn't do." Nick said as he left them, shutting the door as he left.

Ai quickly pulled him towards the futon, and laid him down, removing his kimono and letting him drift into sleep as she placed the large green garment across his covers. Then quickly, she pulled the blinds down, letting the light become dark and her husband finally finish fading into dream.

In his exhaustion, his dream continued, he was back in the bunny home some 800 years ago. His wounds quickly healing and he becoming fast friends with every bunny that dared to talk to him, which when the snow started, had been almost every one of the 794 bunnies both grown and young. The younger ones liked to play with his ears and tail, something he didn't mind too much as long as they didn't get out of paw or accidently bump his injuries. One of his closest friends turned out to be Senkō, the younger bunny between the two he had met when he had woken up. Ai still kept her distance, but eagerly asked questions when he was telling story after story about his adventures to the younger bunny. She seemed to be fascinated by his prowess, and ability to master one of the most dangerous styles of swordsmanship the world had ever seen, a style they say only gods can even begin to comprehend. During mid-winter, he stood from his bed, moved his arm and stretched his legs, trying to get the muscles to regain their strength as he moved around the room. "Feeling better I see?" he heard from the door. There, standing with her arms tucked into her kimono sleeves, stood Ai. Her smile had all but faded, and her expression was one of disappointment.

"Much, thanks to all of you!" he said, and reached down to pick up his empty rice bowl with a pair of black chopsticks lying on top of them. A small twinge of pain shot through his shoulder, but he ignored it, it was nothing he hadn't felt before, and he knew how to handle these small bits of pain. He turned to her and handed her the bowl and chopsticks, "I am indebted to your clan," he said, "By my honor as a samurai I must repay your kindness."

"Stop the war!" was all she said and grabbed the bowl to turn away from him.

"And how am I to do that?" he asked, getting her to pause in her journey. Her thoughts raced, how was he supposed to do that? He was but one samurai with two blades and no armor, against two armies that insisted the entire island join with one side of that bloody fighting.

"Master Jikan Yuki." she said, "He may be able to help you." And with that, she walked away.

Gurē looked after her, the door still slid open as if to invite him into the rest of the house. And with a peek he made his way into it. Looking around, it was unusual to see a hallway so empty in this house, there were almost 300 or more bunnies living here after all. The eerie silence smelled of foreboding, and as soon as he was in the middle, he knew why. He had taken only a few steps away from the room when he felt something behind him. He turned ready to defend himself against any foe, except to one he saw. A stampede of small bunny children was racing towards him, and it was too late to duck back into the room he was held up in. With a slight panic, he turned and ran as quickly as he could. He had made it to the main room when the tidal wave had hit him, knocking him down and covering him in giggling bunnies that tugged on his ears and wrapped themselves in his tail while poking at each of the spots on his fur. Talking and laughter was just everywhere.

"Hey, let him breath!" the black fox heard a familiar voice say, and to his rescue came Senkō. After she had gotten each of her siblings off of him, she smiled, "I thought you were supposed to be a great warrior?" she teased.

"A stampede of young bunnies is a trial that no warrior has succeeded in defeating." Gurē said back to her, a smile forming on his face. It wasn't long after that the young bunnies were back at it, this time pulling at his mouth to see his fangs. "They are very spirited." he said through the tugging on his lips.

"Yes, they are." Senkō agreed with embarrassment as she once again tried to get her brothers and sisters off of the samurai. From a room connecting to the main room, Ai stood there concealed by the sliding door, a smile forming on her face as she watched Gurē gently play with the children after he had been allowed to finally sit on his own. She had never seen a warrior so gentle, and never a fox who preferred honor and honesty. She let her smile stretch as she slid the door closed, going back to work as she cleaned the house.


	5. Facing My Sins!

**Chapter 5 – Facing My Sins!**

Slowly Gurē opened his eyes, a calm dream faded from his mind, yet, he remembered it all too well. He sat up, stretched his arms out to each side, and looked around. He was back in Nick's apartment, and something smelled good. He turned his head towards the kitchen, expecting to see the apartment's owner, but instead he found a bunny. She was grey and had a pink shirt on with blue jeans, but somehow, he knew her. "Ai?" he asked, catching the bunny's attention. She tossed the wok once, he saw rice, half fried and mixed with egg, peas and chopped carrots.

"Feeling better?" she asked in her native language with a smile and again shoved her spoon into the rice to stir some more.

"What are you wearing?" he replied in the same language.

"These are some cloths Judy-san gave me. I didn't want my kimono to get dirty." she told him and turned slightly to reveal an apron that said 'kiss the cook' on it's front. He thought it a bit tacky but it was something from this time period, and it would at least keep her from getting fried rice on her front. Ai quickly picked up a glass bottle at her side, brown liquid sloshing around in it, and without even thinking, poured a little into the rice.

'Oh, soy sauce.' he thought to himself, 'Nice touch.'

"How did you sleep?" she asked.

He hesitated a little, but relaxed, "Remember when-a you told me to go see Master Jikan?" he asked solemnly.

She stalled in her stirring, but quickly resumed when she heard it sizzle a bit, "Dreaming of de past?" she asked. He nodded, "You know none of dat was your fault." she told him sincerely as she tipped the wok to pour the rice into a large bowl next to her.

"But what happened to Senkō was my fault." he started to argue right before the large bowl was set down right between his legs, and none too gently either. He thanked the gods that she hadn't actually hit him.

"We've been over dis!" she told him, "She made her decision and it turned out to be a wrong one." He fell silent as she handed him some chopsticks, "Now eat!" she told him. He just stared blankly at the pair of eating utensils. "You always get hungry after using de Storm Cutter technique. I remember every time. First, you use it, den you have to sleep, den you eat me out of house and home. EAT!" she told him.

He gently took the chopsticks, set them into his right paw, and without reservation or intent to share, started devouring the entire bowl.

Back at the precinct, Judy flipped through some papers. It had been six hours, and with the help of Patty Bella, they had made significant progress locating several of the dolls. Most were in no condition to be played with anyway, and most mothers were happy to hear that they needed to be confiscated. They now had a collection of seven dolls, one of a Futakuchi-Onna or the two-mouthed female white tiger, several serpents, a dog of some kind and two different skeletons. Yet it was like none could be used at all, several missing pieces that would be vital to living. "This has been one hectic day!" Judy said as she tromped back into the bullpen. Her knuckles nearly dragged the tiles and her partner was next to her, feeling exactly the same.

"Yah." he said just before he yawned, "And all we've got is a few of them."

"A few is better than none." the bunny said as she to yawned, "Can't believe you actually convinced a few of them that they were stolen from a museum."

"I do my job well!" Nick responded.

"Get some sleep!" the two of them heard. When they looked at the voice, they saw the chief, Bogo towering over them even as he stood behind the pulpit, "You two earned it tonight. Not just an early start but also several jobs well done."

"Thanks, chief." Judy said.

Nick was ready to interrupt her if she argued but instead yawned loudly. "You two go to the nap room, get some rest. You'll pick up some pieces later." he said and looked up at Judy, "That's an order!"

"An order to cuddle up with Nick, I'll take that!" Judy said snidely as she turned to leave.

"You're a bad influence on her Wilde!" Bogo told the shocked fox. Nick could only shrug as he followed close behind.

"What's next on the list?" the red fox asked as he followed his rabbit girlfriend.

"I really don't want to think about it." she said and tossed the papers onto the desk of Clawhouser as she passed it.

With a large yawn, Nick agreed, "Ok, I'm with you!"

"Those two." Ben said as he watched Bakeneko pick up the papers and try to read them, "They worked so hard today and still not many of the dolls recovered. We got you," he told the curious Bakeneko, "and the Odokuro plus the seven that we just recovered." He stopped when he viewed the papers in Bakeneko's paws, a rather thick stack of them, and with a sigh, continued, "And yet it seems we still have a long way to go."

"Story?" Bakeneko asked in English, turning the papers to Clawhouser.

"Not story, Report!" he told her.

"Re…poooort?" she repeated to him, almost understanding.

"This," Clawhouser told himself, "is going to take some explaining."

With a content sigh, Gurē once again placed his bow to the floor, and looked up, "Thank-e you Ai." he said and leaned back, turning to his side, he saw every bowl Nick had in the kitchen, sitting right next to him, each with remnants of something he had eaten. Some rice in one, flecks of fried rice in another, shrimp and fish flakes in a few more, and the crumbs of her eggrolls scattered on a few plates as well as Chow Mein. He had once again eaten like a king, all because of that simple action, the Storm Cutter technique.

He was about to lie down, resting his head on his paws when he felt a wooden spoon pop him in the forehead, it was light, but solid enough to get his attention, "Now help clean!" the bunny scolded, giving him a sour scornful look, "It is disrespectful to not help clean up in-e dis country."

"Really?" he asked in surprise as he rubbed the offended spot and lifted himself to his feet. She only nodded, and picked up a fairly large stack of plates, leaving him the bowls he had used. With a bit of disdain, but respect for Nick's home, he bent down and lifted the two stacks of bowls, balancing each precariously on his paws. Somehow, in some miraculous way, he didn't drop a single one.

About halfway through the last stack of dishes, he sighed, again his mind had wandered back to the dream, the memory, he saw in his sleep, 'Senko.' he thought to himself.

She must have seen the look on his face, because only seconds later he felt Ai wrap her arms around his arm, and lean her head against him, "I wish I could take de memories away, just so I could stop your suffering."

Gurē smiled gently at the caring bunny, his eyes softening into a sparkling admiration, she seemed frail at times, yet somehow, she remained strong, a power that somehow hid until needed. 'Somehow Ai…,' he thought to himself, '…somehow I'll get you're your sister back. I promised, and I never break a promise.' Then a thought occurred to him, 'Dis one just took 1000 years to do it!'


	6. To What End?

**Chapter 6 – To What End?**

Nick slowly woke with distain as he heard Judy's phone alarm go off, a noise he wished would just stay quiet as he hugged his bunny. Somehow; Judy, tired as she was, turned in his arms, and reached for her phone, falling just short as she did, "Nick, we have to get up." she said as she tried lifting his arm from around her.

"But I'm nocturnal." was all he retorted as he tightened his grip on her waist. She giggled a bit as she turned and began rubbing his cheeks in one of the most annoying ways Nick had ever experienced, "Ok, ok." he said as he let her go, "I'm getting up." They both laughed as she grabbed her phone and silenced her alarm, only to press another button, a familiar call button.

"Hey there Jude!" her father, a slightly chubby grey bunny in blue jean overalls and a green plaid shirt with green ballcap on his head, said over the phone.

"Hi Dad," she responded and then turned her eyes to the female bunny next to him, "hi Mom!" This bunny wore a purple blouse and had kind purple eyes that contrasted with her husband's dark brown worried eyes.

"Hi sweetie." Bonnie, Judy's mother, said and then turned to her husband, "See Stu? I told you she'd call."

"Well hello Mr. and Mrs. Hopps." Nick said from behind Judy as he placed the bottom of his chin on top of Judy's head, right between her ears, "How's the farm life?"

"Oh, hello there, Nick!" Bonnie said with glee.

"Been keeping our girl safe?" Stu asked just as quickly.

"DAD!?" Judy quickly called in embarrassment.

"Always." Nick smoothly answered, "Part of the job, right?"

"You mean the 'police partner' job or the 'boyfriend' job?" Bonnie asked with just as much swag.

To this, Judy blushed and tried to hide her face into the bottom of the phone, "Both. Guess that means I got double duty, right?"

This had become a game to them ever since Judy had spilled the beans that they were dating, Nick and Bonnie would try to get a rise out of each other without crossing a fine line they had set some weeks later. "Right about that." Stu said, quickly putting an end to the game before Judy wanted to disappear. "Wanna see what one of the neighbors found earlier today?"

'Thank you, Dad.' Judy thought silently, "Sure after what the two of us have seen I doubt it can be…" she began as Bonnie walked to the door with the phone, and turned it so the camera looked outside.

"This big guy was just sitting there near the farm, hasn't moved since but no one can get near it without getting stuck in the web around him." she heard Stu say.

There, at the edge of the farm, Judy could barely make out a large white ball of web, and in the middle, wrapped up like a cocoon, sat a spider, a large one with a green back and brown and yellow alternating stripes on its legs. "That's a big spider." Nick said.

"You don't know the half of it." Bonnie said, "Just yesterday, one of the neighbor kids said there was a girl bunny there just waving at him." Stu said, "You remember the Twiggs family right, it was there oldest son. The one about your age."

"You don't think…" Nick said as he turned to his partner.

"Yah, I do. And I hope I'm wrong." Judy said, "Sorry Mom, Dad. I need to call a friend. I'll call you back, bye!" and with that, she clicked her phone, and quickly found Nick's home number, "Pick up, pick up!"

"Ello?" a familiar voice asked as Ai picked up the phone.

"Ai, what kind of spider Yōkai did Pandan have?" Judy asked quickly.

"You saw a Jorōgumo?!" the other bunny asked in surprise.

"WHAT?" cried Gurē in the background.

"That's what I was afraid of." Judy said softly to herself then turned to Nick, "We gotta tell Bogo before it hurts someone."

The trip back to Bunny Burrow was both relaxing and full of panic, Judy nearly biting her nails in order to calm her nerves as Gurē sat back, his swords wrapped tightly in what looked like a small duffle bag, a bright blue pair of jeans and a red t-shirt on his body instead of his favorite garb, "Why was it I cannot wear my kimono and hakama?"

"You use it like a super hero costume man, everyone in Zootopia knows that look. Besides, we're not trying to scare the Jorōgumo, we're just seeing if it's dangerous." Nick said to him as the train they were on moved along, "Bogo was nice enough to let us do this investigation undercover, technically you're not supposed to even have those." With his last words he pointed to the bag the black furred fox was wearing, indicating the bulge of the sword pommel that pushed slightly against the inside of the fabric.

"What-a does 'undercover' mean?" Ai asked in curiosity. She wore the same outfit that Nick had seen her in when he had dropped off Gurē before.

"It means in disguise, like we're not supposed to be recognized." Judy said in response. At the moment, she wore a pink and purple plaid shirt with her sleeves rolled up to the top half of her arms as well as worn blue jeans that hugged her legs. Nick was in a similar outfit, but with a green and white plaid shirt instead and what looked like a straw hat on top. He also wore a pair of stylish sunglasses just to hide his eyes.

Ai nodded in response, and held on tight to the paw hold as the train came to a slow and peaceful stop, "Arriving at Bunny Burrow Station, Platform B." the automated conductor announced.

"This is our stop." Judy said as she grabbed her luggage, a simple bag with wheels and a handle. The four of them exited the train, each using the medium sized door and were quickly met with a stampede of young rabbits.

'Not again!' Gurē thought as the young bunnies surrounded them quickly and began squeezing the tails of the foxes. "Dat went better den last time." he said.

"You've been drowned in bunnies before?" Nick asked in surprise. Gurē simply nodded as he tried to hold his bag full of items up above his head so the young kits would not be tempted to look inside and find his weapons.

"Sorry about that." Judy quickly said as her parents approached, trying to swim through the flood of young ones.

"Been a while there Jude!" her dad said, "Glad you could take a few days off to come and see us."

"Yah," she responded and turned to look at the two foxes being pulled under the torrent of grey fur and ears. "Could you maybe…" she suggested as Ai continued to grip the back of Gurē's shirt in panic.

"Oh right!" her mother said in recognition and began moving her way towards the pair while scolding the young ones.

"You didn't tell me that you were bringing another bunny and fox with you, I thought it was going to be you and Nick." Stu said as Bonny continued to try and rescue the other three.

"Gure and Ai are nervous about being alone, we had to bring them with us." "he explained, "They promise not to cause trouble, but their English might be a bit broken."

"NOT DAT BROKEN!" Gurē called out.


End file.
